Runaway Mortal

by Kant, Komal

  Reluctantly, I placed my bag against the wall and walked over to him, trying not to make eye contact with Loire. We hadn’t spoken since our awkward encounter in the courtyard, and I was pretty sure he was still pissed off about it. He wasn’t exactly my favorite person right now either, despite his hot arms.

  “Today we are very lucky to have the assistance of a highly skilled SRECON agent, Loire Beaumont,” Professor Martin said grandly, like he was announcing the arrival of the president.

  I snorted and covered my mouth, turning it into a fake sneeze instead when I saw Loire glance at me.

  “Thank you very much for volunteering your time, Loire,” Professor Martin continued. “Could you tell us a bit about how you use martial arts in your field of work?”

  Loire nodded and stepped forward to address the class. “Martial arts is precision fighting. There is no second guessing; each move is inflicted with purpose. As a supernatural reconnaissance agent, we need to go in and complete a job with little mess and fast results. Martial arts is a great way to disarm your opponent without the blood and gore.”

  The entire class seemed fascinated with his words, which only worsened my mood. The girls were staring at him like they’d never seen a male before, and the boys looked at him like they wanted to be him.

  Professor Martin beamed. “And that is exactly why you need to do your best in this class by training and studying hard.”

  By default, everyone zoned out as Professor Martin gave his little speech. I chose that moment to sneak a peek at Loire who was standing very still, a polite smile on his face, his hands neatly folded in front of him. He seemed to be interested in what Professor Martin was saying, but I could tell that his mind was somewhere else. His stormy, blue eyes seemed distracted as they flitted around the gym, and then finally rested on me.

  Not wanting to be caught staring, I quickly looked back at Professor Martin, feigning interest as he finally ended his sermon and gestured at Loire grandly. “Loire, would you be so kind as to demonstrate the move we will be practicing today?”

  Loire approached me with the ghost of a smile playing around his mouth, immediately making me feel uneasy. He stopped a few feet away from me, grabbed the dagger from his belt, and suddenly threw it at me.

  The other students gasped, but my focus was on the dagger hurtling towards me.

  My natural instincts kicked in and I deftly caught it, taken aback that Loire had risked throwing a weapon at a student without warning. For all I knew, he could’ve been trying to decapitate me.

  Seeming satisfied, he turned back to the rest of the class who were staring at us in awe. “I would’ve been worried if an eleventh grade mortal hadn’t been able to catch a knife thrown at close range. Then again, I haven’t heard the greatest things about Katerina Lyrille so I took my chances.” He shrugged as an afterthought and the students laughed.

  A heat began burning inside of my belly. It wasn’t acid reflux; it was rage from being mocked by Loire in front of everyone. I needed to get it out somehow and Loire would be that unfortunate target.

  As Loire turned towards me again, I was already anticipating his next words, almost predicting them before he even said them.

  “Come at me with the knife.” He looked at me levelly, his face relaxed. “Attack me.”

  A primal cry escaped my lips as I charged forward. I didn’t need further prompting, I didn’t need an invitation. I just wanted to show Loire that I wasn’t as pathetic as he thought I was.

  I lunged at him with the dagger, aiming for his left shoulder, but before I could comprehend what was happening, Loire grabbed me under the armpit. His fingers dug into my soft flesh as he flipped my entire body over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. Before I knew what was happening, my back slammed painfully down onto the hard surface of the gym floor.

  There were several excited gasps, but all I could register was Loire leaning over me, his fingers pressing into my throat. My body went limp, my head became fuzzy, and within seconds, Loire had snatched the dagger out of my lifeless hand.

  The pressure around my throat stopped and I gratefully sucked in deep breaths of air. Loire moved away from me as the class burst into cheers and applause. Professor Martin offered me a hand, which I grudgingly accepted as I got back up on my feet.

  “That is only one of the many moves that fall under one of the many different categories of martial arts,” Loire was saying to the class. “This particular branch is known as sambo or ‘killing your attacker with her own knife and making her look like a giant moron’ as I’m sure Katerina has just discovered.”

  Everyone burst into a fit of laughter, and I glowered at Loire who looked like he was trying not to join in. A hot flush spread across my face, further adding to my humiliation. I wasn’t going to forgive Loire for embarrassing me like that.

  The rest of the students stood up and Professor Martin began splitting everyone into pairs. “Yes, you two can go together. No, girls, you cannot be in a group of three. Mr. Leary, who is your partner?” he asked a large boy with a shock of blonde hair.

  “Anyone except her,” Max Stanton said loudly, tilting his head in my direction as his friends laughed at me.

  Something inside me snapped, and all the anger and frustration I’d been bottling up finally exploded. I felt my legs move towards Max as if I had no control over them. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I knew I wanted Max to hurt as much as I did.

  Without warning, two firm hands clamped down on both my shoulders and steered me sharply away from Max and his friends. I didn’t need to turn my head to know it was Loire. He guided me outside where the first drops of afternoon rain were beginning to fall.

  I pulled myself free from his grasp and spun on him, anger coursing through my body like poison. “Why did you stop me?” I demanded, balling up my fists in frustration. I really wanted to kick something right now.

  “I was saving-”

  I didn’t let him finish. “I don’t need saving, okay? I’m doing fine on my own!”

  Loire rubbed his temple with a finger, a sudden look of exhaustion passing across his face. “If you would just hear me out, I was going to say that I was saving him from you.”

  My mouth fell open in surprise and my hands relaxed at my sides. “You were what?” His words weren’t making any sense. They contradicted everything he’d said about me just minutes ago in front of the class.

  “I know that you’re more than capable of dealing someone a great amount of pain. I was saving him from the embarrassment of getting his ass kicked by a girl half his size,” Loire said in a quiet voice.

  “Don’t mess with me, Loire,” I cried, my anger returning a little. “You humiliated me in front of everyone like I was some pathetic weakling, right after you almost strangled me to death!”

  He rolled his eyes at that. “You are so melodramatic, Kat. That wasn’t strangulation; it was a pressure point squeeze.”

  His words only added to my worsening mood. “You always treat me like a child. You assume that I can’t protect myself.” My bottom lip quivered involuntarily.

  Gah. Why was I letting this get to me so much? I shouldn’t care what some guy thought of me.

  Loire’s expression changed and his face grew serious. He took a step forward so that his forehead was almost pressed against mine. He was so close that I could see where the blue in his eyes became grey, and the image of “getting it out of my system” became a motion picture in my mind.

  I inwardly groaned and cursed Tyrone for putting that image in my head.

  His voice was low, steady when he spoke, sending thrills up my spine. “I do not think you are a child, Kat. You are perfectly capable of protecting yourself. I know this because I have seen it firsthand. If you couldn’t protect yourself then you wouldn’t have lasted a day on the outside or been able to elude my triad for so long.”

  “But you said-”

  He clamped a hand over my mouth, leaning in so that his lips were right beside my e
ar. “I know what I said, Kat. My memory is in perfect condition. I’m trying to teach you to control your temper because until you overcome it, you’ll never master your own abilities. It will always get in the way. Always.”

  He released me and started to walk back inside, but I reached out and grabbed his bare arm. He turned and stared at my hand on his arm in question, and I felt an inexplicable pull between us. The same pull I’d felt since the day I’d first met him.

  Feeling uncomfortable, I released him and looked down at the ground, suddenly at a loss for words. My anger had subsided and I was feeling stupid about losing my temper in the first place. It made me seem childish and volatile; qualities that weren’t desirable in a SRECON agent.

  “Um, look, I’m sorry about getting mad, okay? I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  His expression softened, and he ran a hand through his hair, seeming relieved that we weren’t touching anymore. “It’s fine, but maybe you need to see the counselor?”

  I groaned. “I have nothing to say to some shrink.”

  “Well, you should try. People need counseling after traumatic events.”

  “Traumatic events? Then I’m pretty sure that you, Tyrone, and Very Tassels need it more than I do. It must be traumatizing being outsmarted by a seventeen-year-old.”

  Loire actually laughed, which made me feel like I’d accomplished something. A warm feeling burst in the center of my stomach, filling me with satisfaction.

  “Very funny, Rookie,” he said, “but you saw the naked, lifeless body of your Headmistress. I’m pretty sure you need counseling.”

  “When you say it like that of course it’s going to sound bad,” I said, pulling at the strands of hair that had come loose from my ponytail.

  A silence stretched between us as Loire studied me in a way that made me uncomfortable all over again. Finally, he spoke. “What you need is more discipline. You say you want to be SRECON one day, well, believe it or not, but you need discipline for that.”

  “Then why don’t you discipline me?” I blurted out, and then felt my face flush at his raised eyebrow. “I mean, why don’t you train me so I don’t get my ass kicked by you anymore?”

  Loire looked surprised. “Train you? What do you need me to train you for?”

  I sighed, not sure how to make my case. “I want to improve my abilities and since you’re SRECON, I’m pretty sure you’d be able to help me.”

  He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then by some miracle began to slowly nod. “So, you want me to train you? Okay, I can do that, but we have to do things my way. No whining, no complaining, no girly hissy fits, got it?”

  I nodded enthusiastically, hardly daring to believe that he had agreed to train me. Ever since I’d come back to school, I knew I had something to prove to everyone. I loved that I was a mortal and that physically I was stronger than angels and demons. I loved that I was naturally a better fighter with stronger senses.

  But if I wanted to really have a shot at proving Parla Hampton and the rest of Parlum wrong, then I would have to train hard to improve my abilities. And who knew? Maybe it would help me find the Mortal Blade somehow.

  Since Loire was a SRECON agent who was around all the time, he seemed like the best candidate to help me. Besides, he wasn’t too bad to look at either.

  “It’s a deal,” I said. “No dramas from me.”

  “Now, why do I have a hard time believing that?” Loire shot me an incredulous look. “Alright, we’ll start by training twice a week. Tonight will be your first lesson, so meet me back here after seven.”

  My enthusiasm faltered. “Wait, what? We’re starting tonight? My back-”

  “Is that a problem, Katerina? Because I could always reconsider my generous offer. I have a life too, you know?”

  “You have a life?” My mouth fell open in mock-surprise. “I thought your life was all about following me around.” For some reason, my tone was flirty. Crap! I didn’t want to come across like that.

  “You know how much I love following you around.” For some reason, a sexy smile was creeping onto Loire’s face. “Now get out of here before I change my mind.”

  I tried not to show how much a single smile from him affected me—my heart rate was increasing and those damn flutters were starting up again in my stomach. “I’m going the same way you are.”

  “No, you’re not. I want you to go up to your room and get some rest. I’ll tell Professor Martin that you hurt your back when I whooped your ass.” With a sly grin, Loire turned and walked back inside the gym, leaving me standing in the gentle rain.

  I wondered if I was going to regret asking for his help and if there was any way the motion picture in my head would go away.

  Chapter Twelve

  After dinner I made my way down to the gym, leaving Anna and Greggy in the library together in their usual corner.

  If those two were a couple then they were doing a great job at hiding it. I mean, I guess they’d have to hide it anyway, but I never noticed any stolen glances or either of them making goo-goo eyes at each other.

  As for Misha, she chose to be far away from both the library and Anna. A vague text message from her had informed me that she was “hanging out with a guy”.

  The air was cool and crisp when I walked out the back doors, goose bumps rising on my skin from the autumn chill. In my haste, I’d forgotten to grab a hoodie, but I was pretty sure training would warm me up, so I wasn’t too worried.

  As I hurried across the grounds, distracted by thoughts of Loire and what was to come, I heard scuffling from behind me. Whatever it was made me stop and turn, my eyes scanning the darkness behind me. There was very little light illuminating the grounds, so I couldn’t make out anything specific. It had probably been a squirrel; there were plenty of them running around the grounds.

  Brushing aside the noise, I continued the rest of the way to the gym without hearing anything else. Once I got there, I found Loire lying on the grass outside the doors. He seemed deep in thought, so I tried not to make a sound as I stepped closer.

  His eyes were closed and he looked like a vision, so beautiful and vulnerable, that I felt like I had intruded on a private moment. His face was so peaceful, the well-defined jaw relaxed, his forehead smooth and clear. I didn’t want to disturb him, so I stood there in silence watching him. I kind of felt like a creepy voyeur.

  “Aren’t you cold?” he asked suddenly. I should have known that his advanced hearing would’ve picked up on my footsteps long ago.

  My awe quickly dissipated as he opened his stormy eyes and sat up, looking around at me with a soft smile on his face.

  I gave a little shrug. “A little, but I’ll be alright once we warm up.”

  Loire stood up and approached me slowly, his eyes flickering over my body before snapping back to my face.

  My face flushed when I realized that I’d thrown on my clothes without a second thought. I was wearing my usual workout outfit; a tank top, cotton shorts, and trainers, which seemed pretty normal to me, but Loire had only ever seen me in such little clothing once before. Maybe I should have worn track pants.

  Loire cleared his throat, seeming a little uncomfortable. “Well, then warm up however you like.”

  With a nod, I began stretching in my tiny shorts, suddenly feeling very hot under his watchful gaze. After I was done with my stretches, I did a slow jog around the edge of the field with Loire keeping pace beside me.

  I wondered if he was staring at my ass the way I stared at his. A flush spread up my neck as the thought of him staring intensely at my ass came to mind.

  Once I’d warmed up, Loire began speaking. “For your first lesson, I want you to learn patience and endurance. We are going to build up your strength and resistance until you have a higher pain threshold. How does that sound?”

  It sounded pretty damn boring, but I remembered that I’d promised Loire I wouldn’t complain about anything. “It sounds amazing,” I said with false enthusiasm.

 
From the look Loire gave me, it was pretty clear he knew I felt quite the opposite. He had this way of knowing when I was being genuine or not, or maybe I just wasn’t very good at hiding my feelings.

  “So we’ll be doing the sambo move I demonstrated in martial arts class today.”

  My ears perked up and I stepped forward, eager to learn the technique he had demonstrated so well in the gym earlier on. He had my full attention now. That move was definitely something I wanted to add to my arsenal.

  “Great, just tell me what to do.”

  “Well, it’s simple really.” A smile was playing around his lips, making him more desirable than he already was. “You try and attack me, and I flip you over.”

  I waited for the punch line but none came. “You can’t be serious!” I exclaimed, hands on my hips.

  Loire didn’t flinch. “I am very serious. Are you?”

  I was so annoyed that I actually stamped my foot like a three-year-old would. “Of course I’m serious about this! That’s why this whole lesson is pointless! My abilities aren’t so basic that I can’t do something a bit more advanced than that. Don’t treat me like I don’t know anything!”

  “I’m not treating you like you don’t know anything. I am trying to help you and this is the best way to do it before you can move onto anything more advanced,” Loire said calmly, completely unfazed by my spitting rage.

  I took a deep breath, held it in, and then let it out, trying to maintain a level of calm similar to Loire’s. Somehow I managed to make my head move up and down in a nod. “Fine, we’ll do your stupid exercise,” I said, my tone bitter.

  Without warning, I rushed towards him, my fists flying as I tried to land a punch on his left pectoral. But just like he had done earlier in class, he grabbed me under the armpit, spun me over his shoulder, and threw me down onto the ground. This time, he didn’t press down on my throat, but stepped back instead, giving me room to recover from the sheer force of his attack.